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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. present — a gift
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — in sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. staff — a stick
  10. season — of the year
  11. present — the time now
  12. chair — a leader
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — there
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — goods
  22. drill — army training
  23. stock — shares
  24. degree — an amount

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