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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chip — for betting

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