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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. firm — a company
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. squash — the sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. vault — a safe
  19. firm — steady
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. firm — decided

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