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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bore — to tire
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. object — a thing
  7. fall — the season
  8. object — to protest
  9. degree — from a university
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. object — an aim
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — temperature
  18. court — for sport
  19. bore — to drill
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — of law
  24. degree — an amount

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