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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — certain
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bound — tied together
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — for baseball

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