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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
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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: arm · row · rest · degree · bass · pop · lean · board

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lean — thin
  4. degree — an amount
  5. row — a line
  6. bass — the fish
  7. degree — temperature
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. board — to get on
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. board — a committee
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pop — soda
  22. rest — a break
  23. bass — low music
  24. row — to paddle

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