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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — from a university
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — a series
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bound — certain
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bound — obliged

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