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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fine — high quality
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mate — a friend
  10. season — in sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — in biology
  18. dip — to sink
  19. season — of the year
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mate — a partner
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mate — to breed
  24. deal — an agreement

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