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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stand — to bear
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. key — for a lock
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ground — crushed
  23. key — in music
  24. ground — the earth

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