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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chair — a leader
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. foot — a measure
  9. degree — temperature
  10. staff — employees
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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