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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. row — a line
  3. suit — clothes
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — from a university
  6. can — a tin
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a city
  9. suit — in cards
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. can — a tin
  17. capital — money
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. suit — to fit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. staff — employees

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