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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — from a university
  10. drill — army training
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bank — for money

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