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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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Word bank
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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: stand · degree · rest · cell · lean · net · foot · charge

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cell — a phone
  5. net — after costs
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. lean — thin
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — in biology
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rest — a break
  14. stand — to bear
  15. charge — a price
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. net — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. net — for catching
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lean — to bend
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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