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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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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: fan · rush · land · chest · can · foot · firm · degree

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. degree — an amount
  11. foot — a measure
  12. can — to be able to
  13. land — ground
  14. firm — steady
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — a company
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — a country
  24. can — a tin

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