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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: snap · net · arm · chest · foot · cabinet · rash · degree

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — a box
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — in sport
  19. foot — a measure
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rash — hasty

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