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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — magic
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spell — letters
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. spell — a short time
  11. degree — an amount
  12. net — in sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. degree — from a university
  15. snap — to click
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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