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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bound — certain
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bound — obliged
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stem — to come from
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pit — a hole
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. face — to confront
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. degree — an amount
  23. face — to point toward
  24. calf — a young animal

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