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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. row — to paddle
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bound — obliged
  12. degree — an amount
  13. row — a line
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — certain
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — from a university
  19. snap — to click
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. degree — temperature
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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