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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. file — a document
  3. can — a tin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. snap — to click
  6. track — a path
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. degree — from a university
  10. can — to be able to
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a line of people
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. file — a tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. can — a tin
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lash — an eyelash

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