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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — low music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mate — to breed
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chest — of your body
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — thin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mouse — for a computer

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