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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. charge — electricity
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. degree — temperature
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. game — a match
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — the season
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. toast — bread
  22. charge — in control
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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