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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. staff — employees
  3. land — ground
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — to visit
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bound — certain
  9. land — a country
  10. pop — music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pop — soda
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. land — to come down
  21. can — to be able to
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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