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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: pitcher · stick · bear · spell · chair · degree · key · board

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. key — the most important part
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. board — to get on
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bear — the animal
  19. key — in music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. board — a committee
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spell — magic

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