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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. field — a subject
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a line
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mug — a cup
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mug — a face
  12. field — farmland
  13. kick — in football
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fine — all right
  18. drill — a practice
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. rush — hurry
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rush — a thrill

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