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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pound — a weight
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stand — to bear
  9. ball — a dance
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fan — to cool the air

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