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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. degree — from a university
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — finally
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bound — certain
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bound — tied together
  16. charge — a price
  17. staff — employees
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bound — obliged
  20. last — final
  21. degree — an amount
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. last — to go on
  24. cell — a phone

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