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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. snap — to click
  7. rash — hasty
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. last — final
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. last — finally
  13. chair — a leader
  14. foot — a measure
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — a series
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. chair — to sit on

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