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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. scale — size or range
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. staff — employees
  6. roll — a list
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. staff — a stick
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cell — a phone
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. roll — a cake
  17. deal — to handle
  18. scale — in music
  19. lie — to recline
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. staff — employees
  24. roll — on a roll

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