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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — for betting
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bound — certain
  11. club — for golf
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chip — to eat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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