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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. suit — in cards
  4. key — for a lock
  5. suit — clothes
  6. game — a match
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — hasty
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rash — a series
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stand — to bear
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. suit — to fit
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wax — to grow
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rash — on the skin

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