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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. firm — a company
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. sharp — clever
  12. kid — child
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. net — in sport
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wax — to grow
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. firm — steady
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bound — certain
  23. kid — to tease
  24. firm — decided

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