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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · foot · track · stand · pound · game · object · degree

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stand — to bear
  3. object — an aim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. press — newspapers
  7. degree — temperature
  8. object — to protest
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. press — a publisher
  12. track — to keep track
  13. object — a thing
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. press — to push
  18. track — a song
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. foot — the bottom

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