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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — a phone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cue — for pool
  10. can — a tin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. shower — rain
  14. can — to be able to
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cue — a hint
  18. degree — an amount

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