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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — in sport
  17. bass — low music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ground — a position

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