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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — temperature
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. perch — the fish
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — shares
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stock — goods
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rule — a law
  24. cell — in a prison

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