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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 116 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. degree — an amount
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. present — there
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. present — the time now
  15. ground — crushed
  16. present — a gift
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kick — in football
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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