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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pit — in a race
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. last — final
  13. rule — government
  14. pit — a hole
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mark — a grade
  18. snap — to click
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rule — a law
  24. degree — from a university

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