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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. degree — an amount
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fine — all right
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. scale — size or range
  16. root — the cause
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fine — high quality
  20. degree — from a university
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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