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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mug — a cup
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mug — a face
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mark — a grade
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. court — of law
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. court — of a king
  22. degree — from a university
  23. court — for sport
  24. lash — to lash out

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