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

Word bank: content · pit · deal · degree · chest · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pit — a hole
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pit — in a race
  5. content — happy
  6. degree — temperature
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. content — the amount
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. degree — an amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. 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