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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. 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. chair — a professorship
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. degree — an amount
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a leader
  18. 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