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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rash — a series
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — for money
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — to bear
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — on the skin

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