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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — clever
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rule — government
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mug — a cup
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mug — a face
  19. rule — a law
  20. pit — in a race
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mug — to rob

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