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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 120 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: firm · tear · degree · rest · pitch · nail · bulb · kid

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — to tease
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — an amount
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rest — a break
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. firm — steady
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pitch — completely
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kid — child

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