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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — to crush
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — in a race
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bank — of a river
  11. degree — temperature
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — the sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. squash — the vegetable

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