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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · mine · firm · stand · rest · kick

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rest — what's left
  3. firm — steady
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. kick — in football
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stand — to bear
  17. rest — a break
  18. kick — with a leg

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