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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a music group
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. band — a ring

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