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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.

Make a worksheet

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
YesNo
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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 · fan · pitcher · chair · degree · wave · cabinet · kick

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spell — letters
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. spell — magic
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kick — in football
  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