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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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Word bank
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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: nail · firm · club · degree · game · spell · press · shower

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. spell — a short time
  6. shower — to wash
  7. game — a match
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. firm — steady
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — rain
  13. press — to push
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — wild animals
  22. press — a publisher
  23. club — for dancing
  24. degree — an amount

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