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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. firm — a company
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. degree — from a university
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. degree — temperature
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — an amount
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — clever
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. firm — steady
  18. stem — to come from
  19. craft — boats
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. firm — decided
  24. craft — a skill

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