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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. branch — a division
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. court — of law
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wind — moving air

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