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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. degree — an amount
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a ring
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mark — a grade
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bass — low music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — to sink

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