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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bound — certain
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. degree — temperature
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fork — to eat with

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