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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ball — a great time
  19. last — to go on
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — a list
  22. last — final
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pit — in a race

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