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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.

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: racket · saw · game · lean · arm · clip · degree · wave

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. game — wild animals
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — to cut
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. clip — a video
  16. lean — thin
  17. clip — for paper
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — from a university
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. lean — to bend

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