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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. club — for golf
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chair — a leader
  6. degree — temperature
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fine — all right
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. object — an aim
  17. club — a group
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tube — a container
  20. object — to protest
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. object — a thing
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chair — to sit on

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