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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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. degree — temperature
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — for catching
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. squash — to crush
  10. last — final
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bass — low music
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. last — finally
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bass — the fish
  20. net — in sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — there
  24. last — to go on

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