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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. band — a ring
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. degree — temperature
  8. root — the cause
  9. cap — a lid
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a music group
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pass — a permit
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wake — a trail
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a rubber band

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