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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. degree — an amount
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — from a university
  11. dip — to sink
  12. row — a line
  13. face — to point toward
  14. snap — to click
  15. face — part of the head
  16. hand — help
  17. degree — temperature
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pass — a permit
  22. last — final
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. row — a quarrel

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