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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 · sharp · firm · bay · charge · can · mine

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chair — a leader
  7. firm — steady
  8. charge — in control
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. degree — from a university
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. firm — decided
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — a company
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. degree — temperature
  22. charge — electricity
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. charge — a price

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