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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: rock · mate · degree · mine · game · firm · wind · dip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wind — moving air
  5. firm — a company
  6. rock — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mine — for digging
  9. firm — steady
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. firm — decided
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. dip — a sauce

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