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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. firm — steady
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. foot — a measure
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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