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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bear — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bear — the animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. degree — temperature
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lean — thin
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lean — to bend

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