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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. snap — to click
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rush — hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fall — the season
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — a stick
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fall — to drop

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