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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: lean · club · net · arm · degree · straw · mark · deal

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lean — thin
  4. club — for golf
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — to handle
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. degree — from a university
  17. net — in sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. net — after costs
  24. arm — part of the body

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