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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — in a race
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a path
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pit — a hole
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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