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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wake — a trail
  3. snap — to click
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. degree — an amount
  10. content — happy
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. can — a tin
  14. board — a committee
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bat — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. content — the amount

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