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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — from a university
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. degree — temperature
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spring — the season
  11. rest — what's left
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — a break
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. kick — in football
  17. spring — of water
  18. deal — to handle
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stem — to come from
  21. degree — an amount
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — a tin

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