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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. toast — bread
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. foot — a measure
  13. degree — an amount
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. snap — to click
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stand — to bear
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. degree — temperature
  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