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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fall — the season
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rock — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bat — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rock — a stone
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. degree — from a university
  23. press — to push
  24. chair — a professorship

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