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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. present — there
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bass — low music
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. present — the time now
  10. last — to go on
  11. degree — an amount
  12. last — finally
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. last — final
  16. hand — help
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. lean — thin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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