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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. chair — a leader
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitch — completely
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rock — music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chip — to eat
  16. toast — bread
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hand — in cards
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hand — help
  24. chair — to sit on

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