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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bark — to shout
  3. degree — from a university
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fine — high quality
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. net — in sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — an amount
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fine — all right
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — temperature
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. cell — in biology

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