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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 almost out of ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pop — music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kid — child
  6. snap — to click
  7. last — finally
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — boats
  11. degree — an amount
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. club — a group
  14. last — to go on
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mark — a trace
  18. club — for dancing
  19. last — final
  20. club — for golf
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — to tease

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