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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rock — music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cold — not warm
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — to breed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mate — a friend
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rock — to move gently

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