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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: bowl · mark · snap · cabinet · degree · pit · cell · mug

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mug — a face
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mark — a grade
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mark — a trace
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cell — in biology
  24. snap — to click

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