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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. degree — temperature
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitch — completely
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — government
  8. craft — boats
  9. ball — a dance
  10. snap — to click
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fall — the season
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rule — a law
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rest — a break

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