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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spring — a coil
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stand — to bear
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. swing — music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spring — of water
  24. wake — a trail

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