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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chest — of your body
  5. degree — from a university
  6. object — to protest
  7. current — of water
  8. object — a thing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — happening now
  11. cell — a phone
  12. object — an aim
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chest — a box
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. current — electric
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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