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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. root — of a word
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fine — all right
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. root — of a plant
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. root — the cause
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mine — an explosive

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