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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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. charge — a price
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. charge — electricity
  16. snap — to click
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. charge — in control

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