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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stand — to bear
  3. file — a line of people
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — humankind
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — from a university
  18. file — a tool
  19. race — a contest
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. file — a document

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