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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rash — hasty
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rest — what's left
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rest — a break
  11. field — farmland
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — from a university
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — for sport
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. degree — an amount
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wave — with your hand

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