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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: degree · fine · chair · race · roll · staff · craft · patient

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. craft — a skill
  3. roll — a list
  4. degree — an amount
  5. craft — boats
  6. degree — temperature
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. race — a contest
  13. fine — high quality
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. staff — employees
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. race — humankind
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — all right
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fine — a penalty

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