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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. degree — an amount
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bank — for money
  17. kick — in football
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. deal — to handle

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