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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. foot — a measure
  8. degree — an amount
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — of water
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. prune — to trim
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stand — to bear
  20. degree — temperature
  21. deal — to handle
  22. current — happening now
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. current — electric

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