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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — a tin
  5. degree — from a university
  6. can — a tin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rule — a law
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. foot — a measure
  16. game — a match
  17. deal — to handle
  18. degree — temperature
  19. can — to be able to
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. roll — a list
  24. rule — government

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