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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 116 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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. plane — a tool
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. spell — letters
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. degree — an amount
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. snap — to click
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ball — a great time
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spell — magic
  24. stock — shares

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