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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spring — of water
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. net — for catching
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. degree — from a university
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — after costs
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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