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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — a break
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. season — in sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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