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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. bound — certain
  3. land — to come down
  4. bound — tied together
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bound — obliged
  11. degree — temperature
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — of the year
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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