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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — before a funeral

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