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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cap — a hat
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. net — in sport
  8. degree — an amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cap — of ice
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — after costs
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. file — a document
  15. cap — a lid
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. deal — an agreement

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