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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rule — government
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. stand — to bear
  13. capital — a city
  14. degree — temperature
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. capital — money
  17. cell — in biology
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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