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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · chair · degree · game · net · cabinet

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pound — a weight
  3. degree — temperature
  4. net — for catching
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a match
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. net — after costs
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. net — in sport
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play

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