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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.

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: sharp · wound · club · degree · arm · mate · roll · saw

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mate — to breed
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. club — a group
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — a partner
  12. club — for dancing
  13. roll — a list
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — a friend
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. roll — a cake
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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