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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 · wave · row · season · rule · roll · rock · degree

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. roll — a list
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rule — government
  13. season — in sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rule — a law
  17. rock — a stone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. roll — a cake
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rock — music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. season — of the year

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