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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to click
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — temperature
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — from a university

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