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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rash — a series
  5. rest — a break
  6. season — of the year
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ground — a position
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ground — crushed
  19. current — of water
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — in sport
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. degree — temperature

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