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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — temperature
  18. toast — bread
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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