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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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468
Word bank
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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. suit — in cards
  3. club — for golf
  4. degree — an amount
  5. suit — to fit
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. craft — a skill
  12. degree — temperature
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pass — a permit
  15. snap — to click
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. suit — clothes
  18. club — a group
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. craft — boats
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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