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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · chair · bat · present · game · object · lash · degree

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. object — an aim
  6. staff — employees
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. present — a gift
  11. bat — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. present — the time now
  14. game — a match
  15. object — a thing
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. object — to protest
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — from a university
  23. present — there
  24. staff — employees

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