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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. scale — size or range
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cell — a phone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — a committee
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mine — for digging

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