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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: ground · wound · safe · degree · pitcher · cabinet · leaves · foot

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ground — the earth
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — a position
  16. foot — a measure
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pitcher — a jug

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