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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. object — to protest
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. snap — to click
  8. degree — temperature
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — in biology
  12. object — a thing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. object — an aim
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. club — a group

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