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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. snap — to click
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bound — obliged
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stock — goods
  9. bound — certain
  10. suit — in cards
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stock — shares
  22. foot — a measure
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. toast — bread

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