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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. lean — to bend
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. staff — employees
  8. lean — thin
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stand — to bear
  15. degree — temperature
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. staff — employees
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. leaves — to go away

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