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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. swing — music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. degree — from a university
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pop — soda
  20. wound — an injury
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pit — a hole
  24. game — a match

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