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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lie — to recline
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fork — in a road
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. net — after costs
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. drill — army training
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. net — for catching
  17. date — the fruit
  18. present — a gift
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — in sport
  24. present — there

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