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

Word bank: staff · pit · snap · craft · lean · degree · last · wind

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. craft — a skill
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — employees
  6. snap — to click
  7. last — final
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wind — moving air
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. last — to go on
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. staff — a stick
  19. craft — boats
  20. lean — thin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to bend
  23. degree — temperature
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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