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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. file — a document
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. degree — an amount
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pop — soda
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. file — a tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a line of people
  19. scale — size or range
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pop — music
  23. rest — a break
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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