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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. key — for a lock
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — farmland
  5. degree — an amount
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. degree — from a university
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stock — shares
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. degree — temperature
  15. key — in music
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. field — a subject
  18. lean — thin
  19. cell — a phone
  20. key — the most important part
  21. lean — to bend
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — employees

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