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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cue — a hint
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bank — of a river
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cue — a signal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bank — for money
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. net — after costs
  16. snap — to click
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. net — for catching
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bank — for money

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