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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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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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 — a part of something
  2. current — electric
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. current — happening now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — in football
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — the amount
  19. date — the fruit
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — happy
  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