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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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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: kick · chair · degree · toast · deal · saw · present · rash

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — from a university
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. kick — in football
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rash — a series
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chair — a leader
  15. degree — an amount
  16. present — there
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. present — the time now
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rash — hasty
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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