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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — the season
  7. can — to be able to
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spring — a coil
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — of water
  13. degree — an amount
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — all right
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. degree — from a university

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