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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — letters
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bass — the fish
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spell — magic
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — clever
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — low music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pound — a weight
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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