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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. degree — temperature
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — a price
  13. roll — a cake
  14. degree — an amount
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. charge — in control
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. charge — electricity
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cold — an illness

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