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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: cabinet · bowl · kick · degree · pop · chair · rush · track

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pop — music
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. degree — from a university
  11. track — a path
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. track — a song
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pop — to visit
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pop — soda
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kick — in football
  23. track — to keep track
  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