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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 · degree · club · pound · safe · land · ball · arm

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. degree — an amount
  4. land — ground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. ball — a dance
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. kid — child
  12. club — for golf
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. land — a country
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. club — a group
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. club — for dancing
  20. land — to come down
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ball — a great time
  24. degree — temperature

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