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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pound — a weight
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to click
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. club — a group
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. club — for golf
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — music
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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