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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: jam · key · bound · tube · field · degree · charge · chair

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chair — a leader
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bound — obliged
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bound — certain
  7. field — farmland
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. key — the most important part
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — for sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. key — for a lock
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. key — in music
  20. charge — in control
  21. field — a subject
  22. tube — a container
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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