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

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lean — thin
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. degree — an amount
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kid — child
  14. staff — employees
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bat — in an idiom

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