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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. roll — a list
  3. degree — an amount
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spring — of water
  7. firm — steady
  8. row — a line
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. deal — to handle
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — a cake
  18. row — to paddle
  19. firm — decided
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spring — the season
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. firm — a company

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