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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: degree · fine · bore · lean · march · rest · nail · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — to tire
  3. march — music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. lean — thin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rest — a break
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — for a hammer

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