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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cell — a phone
  6. can — a tin
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spring — of water
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cell — in biology
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fine — high quality

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