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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: degree · face · nail · arm · row · racket · saw · cue

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cue — for pool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. face — to point toward
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. row — to paddle
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — an amount
  17. row — a line
  18. degree — temperature
  19. face — to confront
  20. degree — from a university
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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