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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rest — a break
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rest — what's left
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. degree — from a university
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ground — a position
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ground — the earth

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