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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. suit — to fit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. degree — temperature
  6. can — to be able to
  7. shower — to wash
  8. suit — clothes
  9. land — to come down
  10. can — a tin
  11. stock — goods
  12. shower — rain
  13. land — ground
  14. suit — in cards
  15. land — a country
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. can — a tin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. snap — to click

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