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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. degree — temperature
  4. land — ground
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — to come down
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — a country
  14. mug — a face
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — to rob
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mug — a cup

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