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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stand — to bear
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. degree — from a university
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. file — a document
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — temperature

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