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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bass — low music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — the fruit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — a law
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rule — government
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stand — to bear

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