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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — in sport
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cap — a hat
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rest — what's left
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hand — in cards
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rest — a break
  24. degree — an amount

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