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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chest — a box
  3. degree — an amount
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. degree — from a university
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cap — a hat
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. foot — a measure
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cue — for pool

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