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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cell — a phone
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hand — in cards
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — a country
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mark — a grade
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — employees
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. drill — army training
  17. mark — a trace
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hand — help
  21. land — to come down
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. degree — temperature
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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