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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. row — a line
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. row — to paddle
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. deal — to handle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. degree — an amount

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