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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. firm — decided
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — of the year
  12. firm — steady
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. band — a ring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chair — a leader
  22. band — a music group
  23. season — in sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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