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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. kick — in football
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — temperature
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. firm — steady
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. press — to push
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. firm — a company
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — the season
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wound — an injury

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