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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. march — music
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. march — the month
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. march — the month
  17. lean — thin
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. capital — money
  21. lean — to bend
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. racket — for tennis

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