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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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. band — a rubber band
  3. snap — to click
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. deal — to handle
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a music group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. degree — an amount
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. band — a ring
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fine — high quality

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