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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — temperature
  6. drill — army training
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bank — for money
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chip — to eat
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. kid — child

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