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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mug — a face
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. degree — from a university
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. degree — temperature
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — to rob
  15. degree — an amount
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mug — a cup
  18. spell — letters
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spell — magic
  24. arm — a part of something

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