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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fork — in a road
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — in sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. staff — a stick
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. degree — an amount
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. deal — to handle
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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