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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — an amount
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. field — for sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pop — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pop — soda
  18. swing — in golf
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rest — a break
  24. swing — music

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