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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — in sport
  4. degree — an amount
  5. net — after costs
  6. craft — a skill
  7. net — for catching
  8. mark — a grade
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rest — what's left
  11. charge — in control
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — a price
  15. rest — a break
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mark — a trace
  19. craft — boats
  20. degree — temperature
  21. charge — electricity
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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