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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. firm — steady
  4. current — electric
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — completely
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rest — what's left
  14. firm — decided
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. current — of water
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. current — happening now
  20. firm — a company
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — an amount
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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