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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — the earth
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. degree — an amount
  11. row — to paddle
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — certain
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. row — a line
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — a position
  24. degree — from a university

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