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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. game — a match
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — an amount
  12. scale — in music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. scale — size or range
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wax — to grow
  19. vault — a safe
  20. deal — to handle
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wind — moving air

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