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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. chair — a leader
  3. roll — a list
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — a series
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. march — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rash — hasty

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