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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. firm — a company
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. firm — decided
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. degree — temperature
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. firm — steady
  23. cell — in biology
  24. calf — a young animal

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