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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rock — a stone
  7. snap — to click
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rock — music
  17. clip — for paper
  18. degree — an amount
  19. shower — rain
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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