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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chest — a box
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fine — all right
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bound — certain
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bound — tied together
  23. degree — an amount
  24. sharp — with an edge

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