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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mate — to breed
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mark — a grade
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a friend
  12. degree — from a university
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mark — a trace
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fine — all right
  21. spring — of water
  22. scale — size or range
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wave — with your hand

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