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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fine — high quality
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. row — a line
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rash — a series
  13. fine — all right
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. racket — for tennis
  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