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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. degree — temperature
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rock — music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hand — in cards
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — help
  21. degree — from a university
  22. season — of the year
  23. rock — a stone
  24. temple — a place of worship

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