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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. firm — a company
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wind — moving air
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. craft — boats
  17. firm — steady
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. firm — decided
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. degree — from a university
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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