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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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Word bank
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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — a video
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rash — a series
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kick — in football
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — to turn a key

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