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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fine — all right
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. club — a group
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mine — for digging
  21. club — for golf
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. drill — a practice

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