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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · club · season · chest · cell · ruler · row · key

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. key — in music
  7. season — in sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cell — a phone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. degree — an amount
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chest — of your body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. season — of the year
  22. chest — a box
  23. row — a line
  24. degree — temperature

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