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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: content · race · band · net · bay · degree · lean · stand

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. stand — to bear
  3. degree — temperature
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. net — for catching
  7. band — a music group
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. degree — an amount
  10. content — happy
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. net — after costs
  13. lean — thin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — in sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. race — humankind
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. race — a contest
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. content — the amount

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