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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — final
  7. degree — from a university
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bound — certain
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cue — a hint
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cell — a phone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. club — a group
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — to go on
  24. pass — a permit

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