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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spell — a short time
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spell — magic
  12. sharp — clever
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fine — high quality
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fine — all right
  20. mark — a trace
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lean — thin
  23. spell — letters
  24. mark — a grade

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