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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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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: suit · bear · degree · current · row · cue · arm · chair

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. current — electric
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — a line
  7. current — of water
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. suit — clothes
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. degree — an amount
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cue — a signal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cue — for pool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bear — the animal
  24. current — happening now

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