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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pitch — completely
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. last — to go on
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. last — finally
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. charge — a price
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. charge — in control
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. saw — the tool
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — final
  24. foot — the bottom

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