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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rest — a break
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. root — the cause
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fall — the season
  21. stand — to bear
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — for digging
  24. root — of a plant

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