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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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. current — happening now
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. snap — to click
  6. degree — an amount
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rash — hasty
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kick — in football
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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