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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. charge — in control
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. degree — from a university
  13. suit — clothes
  14. snap — to click
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — electricity
  18. degree — temperature
  19. suit — in cards
  20. stock — goods
  21. spell — magic
  22. charge — a price
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stock — shares

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