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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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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: roll · chest · ruler · ball · race · degree · arm · sharp

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ball — a dance
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. roll — a cake
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. roll — a list
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ball — a great time

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