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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · arm · pop · track · degree · mug · hide · stand

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — a face
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — soda
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cell — a phone
  18. track — a path
  19. cell — in biology
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mug — to rob

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