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

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — to come down
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bank — for money
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. land — ground
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — an amount
  14. land — a country
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rash — hasty
  17. snap — to click
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stand — to bear
  24. foot — the bottom

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