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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ball — a dance
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — in sport
  9. fall — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. can — to be able to
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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