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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bass — the fish
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. row — a line
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — the animal

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