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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: toast · straw · stand · kick · board · degree · track · mark

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. track — a song
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. board — a committee
  8. stand — to bear
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kick — in football
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. board — to get on
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. degree — temperature
  18. track — a path
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. degree — an amount
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. track — to keep track
  24. toast — bread

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