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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rash — hasty
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rash — a series
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. degree — temperature
  15. key — the most important part
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. key — in music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hand — help
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hand — in cards

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