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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fall — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitch — completely
  9. degree — from a university
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kid — to tease
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kid — child

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