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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pass — a permit
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. degree — from a university
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stock — goods
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — shares
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. game — wild animals

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