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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: march · jam · mug · degree · chest · rush · cabinet · chair

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mug — a face
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. march — music
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mug — a cup
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. degree — temperature
  20. march — the month
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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