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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: firm · cue · toast · degree · kick · stand · fork · fall

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cue — a hint
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fork — in a road
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kick — in football
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. toast — bread
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fall — the season

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