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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — temperature
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bear — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. charge — a price
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. file — a tool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. charge — in control
  17. chair — a leader
  18. squash — to crush
  19. file — a document
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — an amount
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. degree — from a university

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