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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mug — to rob
  7. object — an aim
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chest — of your body
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — a law
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rule — government
  18. object — to protest
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. object — a thing
  22. chest — a box
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cell — a phone

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