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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — temperature
  7. race — a contest
  8. staff — employees
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. race — humankind
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. staff — employees
  18. stand — for spectators

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