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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — in sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. season — of the year
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — goods
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stock — shares
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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