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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ball — a dance
  3. band — a ring
  4. board — a committee
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chair — a leader
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. band — a music group
  10. toast — bread
  11. board — to get on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. ball — a great time
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mark — a grade
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. jam — a tight spot

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