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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — of water
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chest — a box
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spring — a coil
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spring — the season

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