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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: bat · stick · mate · arm · can · nail · degree · club

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mate — to breed
  6. can — to be able to
  7. club — a group
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. club — for dancing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. can — a tin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bat — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — a tin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — for baseball

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