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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: foot · ground · bear · snap · bore · degree · bay · toast

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. degree — temperature
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. foot — a measure
  5. degree — an amount
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bear — the animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — a position
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. toast — bread
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bear — to put up with

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