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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — soda
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — in sport
  8. firm — steady
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fine — all right
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pop — music
  15. firm — a company
  16. club — for golf
  17. firm — decided
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — to visit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. season — of the year
  22. club — a group
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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