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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wake — a trail
  6. track — a song
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cap — of ice
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cap — a lid
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — to go on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. track — a path
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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