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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. scale — in music
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stock — shares
  13. degree — from a university
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stock — goods
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wake — a trail
  24. scale — size or range

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