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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · kick · firm · wind · roll · degree

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. degree — temperature
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cell — a phone
  7. firm — decided
  8. degree — an amount
  9. firm — steady
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kick — in football
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. degree — from a university
  17. roll — a list
  18. firm — a company

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