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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — a position
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stock — goods
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ground — crushed
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. drill — the tool
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. drill — army training
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stock — shares
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stock — a soup base

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