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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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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: pit · degree · bowl · hand · dip · board · ground · arm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pit — in a race
  13. board — a committee
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hand — in cards
  20. degree — an amount
  21. board — to get on
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pit — a hole

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