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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. can — to be able to
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. band — a music group
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cell — a phone
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wound — an injury

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