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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. can — a tin
  3. present — there
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — a tin
  6. capital — a city
  7. present — a gift
  8. bass — low music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. race — humankind
  15. capital — money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — the fish
  19. can — to be able to
  20. present — the time now
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — the arms race

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