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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: key · present · bay · cell · snap · object · mouse · degree

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. object — an aim
  3. snap — to click
  4. present — the time now
  5. cell — in biology
  6. present — there
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. present — a gift
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. degree — from a university
  14. key — the most important part
  15. object — a thing
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. object — to protest
  18. cell — a phone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. key — in music

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