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

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. drill — army training
  3. toast — bread
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — a country
  6. roll — a list
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — a practice
  11. land — to come down
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. land — ground
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — the tool
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. roll — a cake
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. arm — part of the body

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