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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: ground · cell · fork · stand · toast · degree · fall · snap

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fall — the season
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stand — to bear
  14. snap — to click
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — a phone
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ground — a position
  19. toast — bread
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fall — to drop
  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