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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. firm — decided
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tube — the underground
  7. firm — a company
  8. degree — temperature
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — size or range
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spring — the season
  13. firm — steady
  14. scale — in music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. spring — a coil
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spring — of water

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