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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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468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. snap — to click
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. lean — thin
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. kick — in football
  13. chair — a leader
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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