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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  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