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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — a trail
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chair — a leader
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. charge — electricity
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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