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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — hasty
  4. lean — to bend
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — thin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. club — for golf
  12. bound — tied together
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. club — a group
  18. bound — obliged
  19. club — for dancing
  20. degree — from a university
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bound — certain
  24. rash — a series

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