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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. present — the time now
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mate — a friend
  9. sharp — clever
  10. present — a gift
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mate — a partner
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. present — there
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — in music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — to breed
  24. straw — dry grass

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