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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. capital — money
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. scale — in music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. spell — letters
  20. stand — to bear
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. capital — a city
  23. spell — magic
  24. foot — a measure

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