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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — high quality
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. game — a match
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rest — a break
  18. game — wild animals
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. fine — all right
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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