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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: degree · rash · stand · fork · cap · ground · stick · hide

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — a series
  5. cap — of ice
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hide — to keep secret

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