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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 120 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: stem · fall · fine · pit · chair · degree · suit · hand

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fine — all right
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fall — the season
  11. suit — to fit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stem — to come from

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