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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — a leader
  3. plane — a tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. object — a thing
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. object — to protest
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — a city
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — an aim
  24. capital — money

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