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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bank — of a river
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cold — an illness
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cold — not warm
  21. content — the amount
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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