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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kid — child
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in biology
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. branch — of a tree

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