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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. degree — from a university
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ruler — a monarch

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