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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pop — to visit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. can — a tin
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pop — soda
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. lie — to recline
  14. can — to be able to
  15. snap — to click
  16. mark — a trace
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pop — music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mark — a grade
  24. degree — an amount

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