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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. field — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. cue — for pool
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tube — a container
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — the underground
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lean — thin
  18. degree — temperature
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spell — letters
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rest — a break

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