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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. season — in sport
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. suit — in cards
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. sharp — clever
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rest — a break
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bat — the animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — a leader
  19. degree — from a university
  20. season — of the year
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. sharp — exactly

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