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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — finally
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. field — for sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. field — a subject
  16. rest — a break
  17. chair — a leader
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lean — thin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wax — to grow
  23. field — farmland
  24. degree — an amount

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