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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 116 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: pound · squash · ground · hand · object · degree · pit · fall

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. object — to protest
  6. hand — in cards
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. object — a thing
  10. ground — a position
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — help
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fall — the season
  22. object — an aim
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. squash — the vegetable

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