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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: mate · wind · degree · firm · nail · kick · kid · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — to tease
  6. firm — steady
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — child
  10. firm — a company
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kick — in football
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. firm — decided
  24. mate — a partner

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