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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. can — a tin
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mug — to rob
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bass — the fish
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mug — a face
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — low music
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ground — a position
  24. mug — a cup

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