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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. last — final
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. band — a music group
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mate — to breed
  12. band — a ring
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stem — to come from
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mate — a friend
  23. degree — an amount
  24. arm — part of the body

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