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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.

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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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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. degree — an amount
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cell — in biology
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kick — in football
  16. cell — a phone
  17. degree — from a university
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kick — with a leg

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