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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — for sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. field — farmland
  13. rock — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. field — a subject
  18. last — finally
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stand — to bear
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. stand — on your feet

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