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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ball — a dance
  9. band — a music group
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a ring
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. degree — from a university
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. row — a line

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