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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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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. club — for golf
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. club — a group
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — an amount
  21. staff — employees
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — for dancing

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