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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. 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. mark — to pay attention
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wound — an injury
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — an amount
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. last — final
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pit — a hole
  21. last — finally
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. 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