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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. object — a thing
  10. degree — an amount
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. game — a match
  13. object — an aim
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — to protest
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. chair — a leader
  24. branch — a division

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