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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. plane — a tool
  4. kid — to tease
  5. charge — a price
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. charge — in control
  10. kid — child
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. charge — electricity
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — all right
  20. degree — an amount
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. fine — high quality

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