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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: degree · kid · fork · roll · deal · fan · jam · foot

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. degree — temperature
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. kid — child
  7. roll — a list
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. fork — in a road
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kid — to tease
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. degree — from a university
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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