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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. row — to paddle
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. snap — to click
  15. degree — temperature
  16. row — a line
  17. spell — letters
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. spell — a short time

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