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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ball — a dance
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. degree — temperature
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stand — to bear
  24. arm — a part of something

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