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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cell — a phone
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. suit — to fit
  5. content — the amount
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cell — in biology
  8. field — farmland
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — happy
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — temperature
  19. suit — clothes
  20. field — a subject
  21. degree — an amount
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. field — for sport

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