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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. club — for golf
  4. land — ground
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — to come down
  8. degree — temperature
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stem — to come from
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. club — a group
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. degree — from a university
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. chair — a leader

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