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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bank — of a river
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. drill — army training
  5. rock — a stone
  6. degree — an amount
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rock — music
  11. swing — music
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. swing — in golf
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — a leader
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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