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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. perch — the fish
  3. club — for dancing
  4. degree — an amount
  5. can — to be able to
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. club — a group
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fall — the season
  10. can — a tin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fall — to drop
  14. degree — from a university
  15. can — a tin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for golf
  18. snap — to click

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