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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. degree — temperature
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fine — high quality
  6. can — a tin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. snap — to click
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — a tin
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fine — all right
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. degree — from a university
  24. can — to be able to

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