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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: spring · deal · row · pit · degree · kick · staff · land

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. row — to paddle
  3. land — to come down
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. spring — the season
  10. deal — to handle
  11. row — a line
  12. degree — temperature
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. degree — an amount
  16. kick — in football
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. staff — employees
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. staff — employees
  24. kick — a thrill

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