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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. staff — employees
  9. roll — a list
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stem — to come from
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rest — a break
  14. court — of a king
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. fine — all right
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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