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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — help
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pop — soda
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pop — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rush — hurry

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