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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rock — music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rock — a stone
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. degree — an amount
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — to shout
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wound — an injury

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