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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: chair · rule · bank · pit · last · calf · arm · degree

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. last — final
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bank — of a river
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — to go on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — government
  18. last — finally
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — temperature

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