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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rush — hurry
  4. degree — temperature
  5. charge — a price
  6. degree — an amount
  7. court — of law
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. charge — in control
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. degree — from a university
  18. game — a match
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — of a king
  24. squash — the sport

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