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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. hand — in cards
  6. can — a tin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. can — a tin
  14. branch — a division
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. degree — an amount
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rock — music

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