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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · mate · jam · board · degree · calf · snap · last

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. board — a committee
  3. snap — to click
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — final
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. degree — an amount
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mate — a friend
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. board — to get on
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wake — a trail
  23. last — finally
  24. degree — from a university

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