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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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. club — for golf
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chest — a box
  14. current — electric
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. club — a group
  19. current — happening now
  20. chip — to eat
  21. current — of water
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bowl — to roll

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