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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. stand — to bear
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mug — a face
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. row — a line
  8. scale — in music
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. scale — size or range
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. capital — a city
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. capital — money
  24. degree — temperature

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