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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 120 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — to breed
  4. file — a line of people
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitch — completely
  12. current — electric
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — certain
  18. mate — a friend
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — of water
  21. file — a document
  22. current — happening now
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. degree — from a university

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