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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. degree — temperature
  3. hand — help
  4. rock — music
  5. degree — an amount
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — to get on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. board — a committee
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bear — the animal
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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