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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wound — an injury
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pass — a permit
  10. charge — in control
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. net — in sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. net — after costs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. degree — temperature
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. charge — a price
  23. net — for catching
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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