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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: pop · game · degree · cell · mug · arm · root · pit

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cell — a phone
  5. game — a match
  6. pit — a hole
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pop — soda
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. pop — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — of a word
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cell — in biology

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