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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of law
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rush — hurry
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — for sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. court — of a king
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — from a university
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — temperature

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