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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — a group
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. club — for dancing
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pit — in a race
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. club — for golf
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ground — a position
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ground — crushed
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. leaves — of a tree

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