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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. degree — temperature
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wake — a trail
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. content — the amount
  17. bore — to tire
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. content — happy
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rash — a series

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