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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bear — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — an amount
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. craft — a handicraft

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