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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
468
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: spell · degree · season · pound · chip · chair · toast · pitcher

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spell — a short time
  11. toast — bread
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — from a university
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — letters
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — of the year

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