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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. band — a ring
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. track — a path
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — a song
  9. branch — a division
  10. degree — from a university
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. band — a music group
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. track — to keep track

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