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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — hasty
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rash — a series
  13. march — the month
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — the month
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. snap — to click
  20. rock — a stone
  21. march — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — temperature
  24. dip — a sauce

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