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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. game — wild animals
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bear — the animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bear — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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