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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — a hole
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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