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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. chair — a leader
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. degree — from a university
  24. season — in sport

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