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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. suit — to fit
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. last — to go on
  8. suit — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. degree — an amount
  13. hand — in cards
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hand — help
  20. pass — a permit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — a box
  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