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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. degree — temperature
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fine — high quality
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — all right
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cold — not warm

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