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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — hasty
  6. degree — temperature
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — a series
  9. suit — clothes
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lie — to recline
  13. suit — to fit
  14. date — the fruit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — from a university
  23. snap — to click
  24. staff — a stick

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