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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. degree — temperature
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — rain
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — a stick
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — an injury

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