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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: degree · chair · lie · mouse · rule · dip · racket · staff

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rule — government
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rule — a law
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. degree — from a university
  19. staff — employees
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — to sit on

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