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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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 — an amount
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bore — to tire
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — a city
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bore — to drill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chair — a leader
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. degree — from a university
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. toast — bread
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. capital — money
  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