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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — finally
  5. band — a ring
  6. craft — boats
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chair — a leader
  9. degree — an amount
  10. last — final
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. club — for golf
  13. degree — temperature
  14. suit — to fit
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. band — a music group
  17. craft — a skill
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. club — for dancing
  20. degree — from a university
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. club — a group
  23. suit — clothes
  24. last — to go 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