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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — a stick
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chair — a leader
  9. staff — employees
  10. degree — an amount
  11. drill — army training
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. staff — employees
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fine — high quality
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fine — all right
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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