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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rule — government
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. firm — decided
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. toast — bread
  17. rule — a law
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. snap — to click
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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