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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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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: degree · snap · pop · ground · hand · rule · current · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. ground — a position
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. current — happening now
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rule — government
  10. hand — in cards
  11. current — electric
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. snap — to click
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. ground — crushed
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. pop — music
  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