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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. degree — temperature
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rest — a break
  21. bear — the animal
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — from a university

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