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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spell — letters
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spell — magic
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — a stone
  14. degree — from a university
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. degree — an amount
  18. drill — a practice
  19. spell — a short time
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rock — music
  22. lean — thin
  23. craft — boats
  24. drill — army training

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