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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. present — a gift
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — clever
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. present — the time now
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. present — there
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wave — of the sea

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