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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. field — farmland
  3. last — to go on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — finally
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bound — certain
  11. field — for sport
  12. degree — temperature
  13. last — final
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — a subject
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — a phone
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — low music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. degree — from a university
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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