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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · sharp · clip · racket · degree · roll · trunk · cue

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — for paper
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — to cut
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cue — a hint

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