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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 116 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: kid · degree · mate · content · shower · rash · stand · lie

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rash — a series
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — a partner
  7. shower — rain
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mate — a friend
  11. kid — child
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. degree — temperature
  14. shower — to wash
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. content — happy
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lie — to recline

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