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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — tied together
  5. degree — temperature
  6. key — the most important part
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. key — in music
  16. rule — a law
  17. stock — shares
  18. rule — government
  19. face — to point toward
  20. snap — to click
  21. degree — an amount
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — goods
  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