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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — a match
  3. rest — a break
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rest — what's left
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — a measure
  10. band — a music group
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a ring
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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