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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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. saw — the tool
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. snap — to click
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mark — a grade
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mark — a trace

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