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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — the season
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bass — low music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. present — a gift

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