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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. court — for sport
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. row — a line
  12. can — to be able to
  13. row — to paddle
  14. court — of a king
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of law
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. degree — from a university
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pound — a weight

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