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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — for catching
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cue — a signal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. net — after costs
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. vault — a safe
  9. degree — an amount
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bound — tied together
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cue — for pool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — in sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. degree — temperature
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stand — on your feet

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