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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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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: rule · degree · scale · band · nail · hand · arm · charge

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rule — government
  3. degree — from a university
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a ring
  8. degree — an amount
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. charge — electricity
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a music group
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. charge — a price
  18. scale — in music
  19. hand — help
  20. charge — in control
  21. scale — size or range
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. degree — temperature
  24. nail — for a hammer

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