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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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 speak sharply
  2. object — an aim
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. track — a path
  5. object — to protest
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a song
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — from a university
  12. object — a thing
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stock — shares
  18. march — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. track — to keep track
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — goods
  23. snap — to click
  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