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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chair — a leader
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mug — a face
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bound — certain
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitch — completely

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