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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. degree — an amount
  8. content — the amount
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. board — a committee
  12. present — there
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. degree — temperature
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pit — a hole
  20. board — to get on
  21. present — a gift
  22. pit — in a race
  23. content — happy
  24. mine — belonging to me

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