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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lean — thin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — hasty
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pit — a hole
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — to bend
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. capital — a city
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ball — a great time
  23. capital — money
  24. degree — an amount

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