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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: chair · degree · fine · cabinet · arm · drill · firm · rash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. firm — steady
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fine — all right
  4. drill — a practice
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fine — high quality
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. drill — army training
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. firm — a company
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. firm — decided
  22. drill — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  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