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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. degree — an amount
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. suit — to fit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bound — certain
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. object — a thing
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. degree — temperature
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stand — to bear
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. shower — rain

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