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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. degree — an amount
  4. clip — a video
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stand — to bear
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stock — shares
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. key — in music
  12. snap — to click
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ball — a dance
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stock — goods
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. degree — from a university
  24. ball — a great time

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