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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · degree · present · stand · shower · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stand — to bear
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — temperature
  9. present — a gift
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — there
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — from a university
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. present — the time now
  17. shower — rain
  18. degree — an amount

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