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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — an amount
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — a video
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. last — final
  14. game — a match
  15. firm — decided
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. clip — for paper
  20. degree — from a university
  21. clip — to cut
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. firm — a company
  24. degree — temperature

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