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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. degree — temperature
  14. object — an aim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. object — to protest
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stand — to bear
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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