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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. degree — from a university
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. race — humankind
  8. foot — a measure
  9. degree — an amount
  10. net — for catching
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. race — the arms race
  18. roll — a list
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. net — in sport
  21. degree — temperature
  22. net — after costs
  23. race — a contest
  24. capital — a city

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