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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. charge — in control
  10. present — a gift
  11. content — happy
  12. rock — music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. degree — an amount
  15. charge — a price
  16. content — the amount
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. degree — temperature
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. charge — electricity

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