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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. charge — electricity
  4. season — in sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. charge — in control
  7. current — happening now
  8. charge — a price
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. drill — army training
  12. mate — a friend
  13. current — electric
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mate — a partner
  18. drill — a practice
  19. degree — from a university
  20. current — of water
  21. suit — in cards
  22. drill — the tool
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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