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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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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: kid · nail · arm · stem · degree · bowl · sharp · vault

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. kid — child
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. vault — a safe
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — to come from
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — on a finger

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