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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. snap — to click
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. degree — an amount
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — a list
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — a leader
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. roll — a cake
  23. can — to be able to
  24. branch — a division

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