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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — in sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — to grow
  7. foot — a measure
  8. degree — temperature
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. suit — clothes
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chest — a box
  16. suit — in cards
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chest — of your body

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