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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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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: chair · ball · degree · rule · cabinet · rash · game · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rule — government
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rule — a law
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rash — a series
  24. cabinet — ministers

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