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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. can — to be able to
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. season — of the year
  11. firm — decided
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. firm — steady
  17. degree — from a university
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. can — a tin
  21. deal — to handle
  22. degree — temperature
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. firm — a company

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