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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fork — in a road
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — help
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. net — for catching
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spring — a coil

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