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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — there
  3. wound — an injury
  4. present — the time now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. season — of the year
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — a gift
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. net — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. net — after costs
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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