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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: game · key · dip · safe · degree · chair · trunk · swing

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. key — in music
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. degree — an amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. game — wild animals
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. game — a match
  15. swing — in golf
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. swing — music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. swing — to play on
  23. dip — to sink
  24. degree — from a university

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