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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — employees
  7. degree — an amount
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rule — a law
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. staff — a stick
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. drill — the tool

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