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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. court — for sport
  3. rash — a series
  4. degree — an amount
  5. file — a tool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bass — low music
  11. file — a document
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. court — of law
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. court — of a king

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