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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. degree — from a university
  6. staff — a stick
  7. degree — an amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. net — for catching
  12. degree — temperature
  13. net — after costs
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bound — certain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bound — obliged

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