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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wind — moving air
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. can — to be able to
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. cue — for pool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cue — a hint
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cue — a signal
  24. degree — an amount

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