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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the fish
  4. object — to protest
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. degree — from a university
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. object — a thing
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. row — a line
  14. object — an aim
  15. file — a tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. file — a line of people
  22. degree — an amount
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — low music

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