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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rash — hasty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rash — a series
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — to sink
  24. drill — a practice

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