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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — crushed
  5. firm — a company
  6. lean — to bend
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fine — high quality
  10. degree — temperature
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lean — thin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. firm — decided
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. firm — steady
  21. fine — all right
  22. game — wild animals
  23. degree — from a university
  24. track — a path

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