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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. band — a music group
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — a path
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. degree — an amount
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rash — hasty
  19. band — a ring
  20. degree — from a university
  21. scale — in music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. degree — temperature

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