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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — from a university
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — temperature
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. net — after costs
  17. lie — to recline
  18. net — for catching
  19. kick — in football
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. plane — in geometry

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