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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fall — to drop
  5. degree — from a university
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lie — to recline
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. lie — an untruth

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