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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. squash — the sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bank — for money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. kick — in football
  15. degree — temperature
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bank — of a river
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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