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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: pit · mine · kid · leaves · wave · safe · rest · degree

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kid — child
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — an amount
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. degree — from a university
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pit — a hole
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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