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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — in sport
  7. pop — music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. degree — from a university
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pop — soda
  15. charge — electricity
  16. foot — a measure
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — rain
  20. pop — to visit
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. jam — in traffic

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