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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rest — what's left
  3. key — the most important part
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bass — low music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — a break
  14. key — for a lock
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. key — in music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bass — the instrument

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