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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. court — of law
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — for sport
  6. degree — temperature
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. shower — to wash
  19. degree — an amount
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. court — of a king
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. wave — of the sea

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