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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · degree · safe · roll · mug · kid · wake · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. wake — a trail
  3. roll — a list
  4. kid — to tease
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mug — a face
  7. roll — a cake
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mug — a cup
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mug — to rob
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wind — moving air
  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