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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. net — in sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. object — an aim
  4. net — after costs
  5. can — a tin
  6. rest — what's left
  7. object — to protest
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — an amount
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. degree — from a university
  17. squash — the sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — temperature
  22. can — to be able to
  23. arm — a part of something
  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