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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cell — in biology
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rule — government
  7. mark — a trace
  8. net — in sport
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rule — a law
  13. net — after costs
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kick — in football
  16. game — a match
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — for catching
  22. degree — temperature
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mark — a grade

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