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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — final
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. suit — in cards
  6. march — music
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. last — finally
  10. suit — to fit
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pass — a permit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. last — to go on
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. snap — to click
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. march — the month

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