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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. pit — in a race
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. suit — in cards
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kick — in football
  10. degree — temperature
  11. spell — letters
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. suit — clothes
  18. pit — a hole
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pound — for dogs

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