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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. race — a contest
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — in sport
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rest — a break
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. race — humankind
  15. bore — to drill
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stand — to bear
  18. race — the arms race
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — an amount
  22. season — of the year
  23. deal — to handle
  24. degree — from a university

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