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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. snap — to click
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. can — a tin
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. capital — money
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — to be able to
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stand — to bear
  19. capital — a city
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mouse — the animal
  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