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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 124 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. swing — music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — from a university
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — tied together
  13. prune — to trim
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bound — obliged
  16. scale — size or range
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bound — certain
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitch — completely
  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