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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. scale — size or range
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — an amount

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