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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. spring — of water
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rest — a break
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fork — in a road

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