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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. 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. cap — a lid
  2. bound — certain
  3. bank — of a river
  4. degree — from a university
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bank — for money
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bound — tied together
  22. degree — temperature
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. 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