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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. degree — an amount
  6. current — electric
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. key — in music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — of water
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — child
  18. snap — to click
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — happening now
  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