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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rash — a series
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pass — a permit
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. can — to be able to
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. court — of a king
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kid — child
  15. snap — to click
  16. court — of law
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stand — to bear
  22. kid — to tease
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rash — hasty

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