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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — in sport
  4. kick — in football
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rest — a break
  15. net — for catching
  16. firm — steady
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. firm — a company
  20. tube — a container
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — after costs
  23. firm — decided
  24. degree — from a university

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