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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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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: fine · lie · board · stick · chair · degree · content · kid

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — the amount
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. degree — from a university
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — high quality
  12. board — to get on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. board — a committee
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. kid — child
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — to sit on

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