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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mug — a face
  4. degree — temperature
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mug — to rob
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. degree — an amount
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hand — help
  20. season — in sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. deal — to handle

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