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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — finally
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. last — to go on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lean — thin
  15. game — a match
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mug — to rob
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — to bend
  23. key — in music
  24. last — final

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