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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. stock — goods
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mug — a face
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kick — in football
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mug — a cup
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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