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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mug — a face
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — clever
  18. degree — from a university
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pound — a weight
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rest — a break
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spring — of water

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