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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. degree — from a university
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rush — hurry
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bark — to shout
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chair — a leader
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rest — a break
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. dip — to sink
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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