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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. snap — to click
  11. degree — temperature
  12. object — an aim
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. object — a thing
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stand — to bear
  18. object — to protest
  19. ball — a dance
  20. branch — a division
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stand — on your feet

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