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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. lean — thin
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. craft — boats
  19. chest — a box
  20. craft — a skill
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cue — a signal
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rock — to move gently

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