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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. field — farmland
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. club — for golf
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pound — a weight
  12. field — for sport
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. degree — from a university
  20. field — a subject
  21. mug — a face
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mug — to rob
  24. degree — an amount

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