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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — temperature
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rock — music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. present — the time now
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — belonging to me

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