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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — music
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mate — to breed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — a weight
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. drill — army training
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fine — all right
  24. drill — a practice

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