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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 · bay · court · safe · degree · bore · bear · swing

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bore — to tire
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. swing — to play on
  7. court — of law
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bore — to drill
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bear — the animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. court — for sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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