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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fine — all right
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. club — a group
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rash — a series
  21. club — for golf
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — letters
  24. arm — part of the body

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