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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — a price
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rush — hurry
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. craft — boats
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. net — for catching
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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