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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hand — help
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — an amount
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — for paper
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. clip — a video
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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