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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. firm — steady
  4. bass — low music
  5. firm — a company
  6. object — to protest
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — from a university
  12. object — an aim
  13. lean — thin
  14. firm — decided
  15. object — a thing
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. degree — temperature
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pit — in a race

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