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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. snap — to click
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rush — hurry
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — to breed
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. track — a path
  22. chest — a box
  23. deal — to handle
  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