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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — temperature
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. degree — an amount
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — rain
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. degree — from a university
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. shower — to wash

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