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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 have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. degree — from a university
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cue — a signal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. snap — to click
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. craft — boats
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — to confront
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cue — for pool
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bound — certain

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