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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — an amount
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. band — a music group
  13. degree — from a university
  14. current — electric
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. sharp — clever

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