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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bass — the fish
  10. degree — from a university
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — a measure
  13. lean — thin
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — to bear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bass — low music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stand — for spectators

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