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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. degree — temperature
  2. hand — in cards
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. scale — in music
  8. row — a line
  9. scale — size or range
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. firm — decided
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bat — the animal
  16. firm — a company
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. firm — steady
  23. degree — an amount
  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