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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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 snap out of it
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. can — to be able to
  7. degree — an amount
  8. snap — to click
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rule — government
  14. track — a path
  15. rule — a law
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  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