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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: arm · ruler · leaves · cabinet · degree · last · chair · chip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — to go on
  4. degree — from a university
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chip — to eat
  7. last — final
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chip — for betting
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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