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

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rock — music
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lean — thin
  24. shower — rain

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