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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. charge — a price
  5. bound — tied together
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — obliged
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. court — of a king
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. court — of law
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. band — a rubber band

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