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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bound — certain
  6. craft — a skill
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — boats
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rush — hurry
  17. roll — a list
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. arm — part of the body

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