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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. last — finally
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cell — in biology
  5. craft — boats
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. last — to go on
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mate — a partner
  14. craft — a skill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. cell — a phone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rule — a law
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rule — government
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. last — final

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