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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bound — certain
  4. degree — from a university
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bound — obliged
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cell — a phone
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bound — tied together
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pit — in a race
  22. row — a line
  23. pit — a hole
  24. degree — an amount

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