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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spell — a short time
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mug — to rob
  8. suit — to fit
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spell — letters
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — a country
  13. spell — magic
  14. land — ground
  15. mug — a face
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. suit — in cards
  20. band — a music group
  21. land — to come down
  22. suit — clothes
  23. degree — from a university
  24. deal — to handle

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