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

Word bank: degree · deal · nail · cap · shower · land

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. land — a country
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cap — a lid
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. shower — rain
  11. cap — of ice
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. shower — to wash
  14. degree — from a university
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cap — a hat

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