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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cell — a phone
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. race — humankind
  9. cell — in biology
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bank — for money
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lie — to recline
  17. race — a contest
  18. bank — for money
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fall — the season
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — of a river

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