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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. roll — a list
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — in biology
  7. vault — a safe
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — temperature
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bulb — for light
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — a cake
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. degree — from a university
  18. march — the month
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. march — music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. degree — an amount

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