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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — a phone
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. track — a path
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. scale — size or range
  14. track — to keep track
  15. last — to go on
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cell — in biology
  20. scale — in music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. last — finally

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