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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitch — completely
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — temperature
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — to confront
  14. cell — a phone
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stem — to come from
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stem — of a plant

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