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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — for sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. degree — temperature
  10. field — a subject
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. degree — from a university
  24. field — farmland

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