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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — an amount
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. degree — from a university
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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