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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fine — all right
  4. degree — temperature
  5. band — a ring
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bass — low music
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bass — the fish
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fine — high quality
  15. band — a music group
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cell — in biology
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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