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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to click
  11. last — final
  12. can — a tin
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. last — finally
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. degree — from a university
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. last — to go on
  22. cue — a hint
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wave — of the sea

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