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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. land — ground
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ground — a position
  9. track — a song
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. firm — steady
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. swing — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. degree — from a university
  18. land — to come down
  19. firm — a company
  20. ground — crushed
  21. firm — decided
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. swing — to play on

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