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

Word bank: mark · degree · cabinet · clip · dip · pound · mouse · arm

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. degree — from a university
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pound — a weight
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. clip — to cut
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — a video
  24. cabinet — ministers

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