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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chip — to eat
  5. drill — the tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fall — the season
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — a position
  13. drill — army training
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — to drop

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