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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: stick · club · clip · nail · arm · rock · fan · degree

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — a video
  4. club — a group
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. club — for golf
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rock — a stone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. club — for dancing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fan — to cool the air

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