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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cue — a hint
  4. band — a music group
  5. key — in music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — a signal
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spell — letters
  22. cue — for pool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — an amount

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