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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. firm — a company
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. land — ground
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. firm — decided
  11. degree — temperature
  12. firm — steady
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bass — low music
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. suit — clothes
  23. field — a subject
  24. land — a country

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