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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: foot · degree · present · suit · pitcher · chair · bowl · wind

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. present — a gift
  6. degree — from a university
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. degree — temperature
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. degree — an amount
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — the time now
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bowl — to roll

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