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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 · key · ground · chair · fall · foot · object · cap

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. object — an aim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ground — the earth
  6. key — in music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cap — of ice
  10. object — a thing
  11. degree — temperature
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ground — a position
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — to protest
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chair — a leader
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fall — the season

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