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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pass — a permit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chest — a box
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. object — a thing

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