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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. deal — to handle
  6. court — for sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. rash — hasty
  12. degree — an amount
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rash — a series
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cell — a phone
  24. deal — an agreement

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