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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: rash · foot · staff · degree · deal · bowl · rest · kid

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rest — what's left
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — an amount
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rash — a series
  16. foot — a measure
  17. kid — child
  18. rest — a break
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. staff — employees
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bowl — to roll

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