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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chest — a box
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chest — of your body
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rash — hasty
  17. firm — steady
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — a series
  20. firm — a company
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. chest — of your body
  23. firm — decided
  24. rest — what's left

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