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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spell — letters
  4. degree — temperature
  5. drill — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. degree — from a university
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a tool
  14. stand — to bear
  15. drill — army training
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spell — magic
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stand — for spectators

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