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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mug — a cup
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lean — thin
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — temperature
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mark — a grade
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mug — a face
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mug — to rob

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