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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 120 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: net · ground · stand · mug · straw · degree · club · temple

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. ground — the earth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mug — a cup
  6. net — in sport
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mug — to rob
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — a face
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ground — a position
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — to bear
  15. net — for catching
  16. club — for golf
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. club — a group
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. degree — temperature
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. club — for dancing
  24. degree — an 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