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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. last — to go on
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — final
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. degree — from a university
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cue — for pool

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