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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mug — a cup
  5. can — to be able to
  6. degree — temperature
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — a measure
  9. roll — a list
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rash — a series
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rash — hasty
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mug — a face
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. degree — from a university
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. toast — the most admired

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