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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stand — to bear
  5. charge — in control
  6. degree — temperature
  7. charge — a price
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — the season
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. spring — a coil
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — of water
  24. ground — a position

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