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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — temperature
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rush — hurry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mug — a cup
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. toast — bread
  17. mug — a face
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mark — a trace
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mark — a grade

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