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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — finally
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. last — to go on
  12. deal — to handle
  13. last — final
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. craft — boats
  16. chair — a leader
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — of a king
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rush — to hurry

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