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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. file — a tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pop — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — soda
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mark — a trace
  16. file — a document
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. key — for a lock
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pop — to visit
  23. key — in music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com