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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: march · charge · chair · bay · date · bore · foot · degree

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — an amount
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bore — to tire
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. march — the month
  12. charge — a price
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. degree — from a university
  16. march — music
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. charge — in control
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. foot — a measure

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