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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: firm · current · chair · cue · ruler · lean · perch · degree

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. degree — an amount
  3. firm — steady
  4. lean — thin
  5. current — of water
  6. firm — a company
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. firm — decided
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lean — to bend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cue — a signal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cue — a hint
  24. current — electric

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