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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mug — a cup
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. object — an aim
  10. cell — in biology
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mug — a face
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lean — thin
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. lean — to bend
  23. degree — temperature
  24. temple — a place of worship

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