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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — to breed
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hand — in cards
  23. can — a tin
  24. arm — part of the body

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