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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stock — goods
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rash — a series
  14. pit — a hole
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. kid — child
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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