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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. degree — temperature
  11. can — a tin
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — the season
  17. can — a tin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mine — for digging
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mine — an explosive

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