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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. net — after costs
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wind — moving air
  11. track — a song
  12. rest — a break
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rest — what's left
  21. track — a path
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — before a funeral

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