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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mate — a partner

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