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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: hand · degree · mug · fine · mine · cabinet · arm · deal

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. deal — to handle
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. fine — high quality
  21. degree — temperature
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fine — all right

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