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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · roll · degree · plane · pass · game · rash · mouse

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. game — a match
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rash — a series
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — a permit
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rash — hasty
  24. roll — a cake

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