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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 116 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: stand · leaves · lie · chair · degree · drill · track · current

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. drill — army training
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. lie — to recline
  7. current — electric
  8. stand — to bear
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — temperature
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. drill — a practice
  15. track — a song
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. track — a path
  24. degree — from a university

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