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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. club — for golf
  5. court — of law
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — after costs
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — for catching
  10. sharp — clever
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. net — in sport
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. dip — to sink
  19. club — a group
  20. board — to get on
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. club — for dancing
  23. court — for sport
  24. dip — to dunk

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