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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. bound — certain
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. last — to go on
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — in football
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rest — a break
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. last — finally
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — to bear
  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