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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. snap — to click
  5. dip — to sink
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mark — a grade
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rule — government
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rule — a law
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. last — to go on
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. last — final

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