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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: pound · cap · last · degree · hide · stand · club · rest

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — for dancing
  3. degree — an amount
  4. club — a group
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cap — a lid
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rest — a break
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. last — final
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rest — what's left
  20. club — for golf
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. last — to go on
  24. degree — temperature

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