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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 124 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — an illness
  5. degree — from a university
  6. spring — the season
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cold — not warm
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — of water
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. board — a committee
  22. spring — a coil
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. degree — an amount

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