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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. snap — to click
  6. cap — a lid
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stem — to come from
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — temperature
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. cap — of ice

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