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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chip — to eat
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — for betting

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