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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. lean — thin
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wake — a trail
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. degree — from a university
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. shower — to wash
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. shower — rain

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