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

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — from a university
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ruler — for measuring

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