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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fine — all right
  12. plane — a tool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — the season
  20. fine — high quality
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  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