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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rock — music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. foot — a measure
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — finally
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. net — in sport
  11. court — of law
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — for sport
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wound — an injury
  20. degree — an amount
  21. court — of a king
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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