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

Word bank: pound · swing · degree · object · jam · trunk · chair · squash

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. swing — music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. object — to protest
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. object — a thing
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. degree — an amount
  17. squash — to crush
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. degree — temperature
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pound — a weight

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