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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — a practice
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a dance
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — army training
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — an amount
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chest — a box
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. ball — a round shape
  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