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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. key — the most important part
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. key — for a lock
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — in music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. plane — a tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. key — in music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. scale — for weighing

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