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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fall — to drop
  3. degree — from a university
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. root — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bound — tied together
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. root — of a word
  12. roll — a list
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bound — obliged
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bound — certain
  18. fall — the season
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. degree — temperature
  22. root — the cause
  23. fall — to drop
  24. key — for a lock

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