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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. suit — to fit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. suit — in cards
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. charge — in control
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. toast — bread
  16. charge — electricity
  17. perch — the fish
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to click
  24. charge — a price

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