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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. foot — a measure
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spring — the season
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. degree — an amount
  15. can — a tin
  16. degree — from a university
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. can — a tin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. can — to be able to
  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