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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — hurry
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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