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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — a series
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pit — in a race
  8. dip — to sink
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — temperature
  11. net — for catching
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pit — a hole
  24. net — after costs

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