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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 124 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. can — to be able to
  3. net — after costs
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — of water
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. can — a tin
  12. stand — to bear
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. degree — from a university
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. jam — a tight spot

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