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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: foot · degree · last · stand · rest · object · cold · date

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. degree — an amount
  6. date — the fruit
  7. object — a thing
  8. cold — not warm
  9. degree — temperature
  10. object — to protest
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — a measure
  13. last — final
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cold — an illness
  18. last — finally
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — from a university
  23. last — to go on
  24. object — an aim

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