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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 120 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: chair · cabinet · degree · content · firm · bulb · race · stand

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chair — a leader
  5. race — a contest
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. firm — decided
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stand — to bear
  17. race — humankind
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. content — happy
  22. degree — temperature
  23. firm — a company
  24. bulb — of a plant

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