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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: degree · stand · pit · kid · leaves · nail · deal · wind

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stand — to bear
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. kid — to tease
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. degree — an amount
  20. kid — child
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. deal — an agreement
  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