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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. can — a tin
  2. track — a path
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. last — finally
  7. wax — to grow
  8. season — of the year
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. track — to keep track
  13. can — a tin
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. can — to be able to
  18. last — to go on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. track — a song
  23. degree — an amount
  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