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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. firm — decided
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. club — for golf
  14. firm — a company
  15. degree — an amount
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — child
  20. club — a group
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. firm — steady
  23. degree — temperature
  24. jam — in traffic

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