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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. march — the month
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. march — the month
  9. degree — temperature
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — a leader
  18. march — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fall — the season
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. calf — of the leg

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