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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pop — music
  3. degree — an amount
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — soda
  6. snap — to click
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ball — a great time
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pop — to visit
  21. firm — decided
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — music

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