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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. land — a country
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rule — a law
  12. land — to come down
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. land — ground
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rule — government
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. straw — a straw man

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