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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — certain
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fall — the season
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cap — a hat
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bound — tied together
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fine — all right
  24. cap — of ice

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