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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. chair — a leader
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stand — to bear
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — in music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mine — for digging
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — the most important part
  24. chair — to sit 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