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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 · content · snap · craft · mate · date · hide · press

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to click
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — newspapers
  10. degree — an amount
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. craft — boats
  13. press — to push
  14. degree — from a university
  15. press — a publisher
  16. craft — a skill
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mate — to breed
  19. content — the amount
  20. mate — a friend
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — happy

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