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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chair — a leader
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hand — help
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. content — happy
  15. fine — all right
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. fine — high quality
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. content — the amount
  24. march — the month

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