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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mug — a face
  5. scale — in music
  6. court — of law
  7. sharp — clever
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kick — in football
  11. mug — a cup
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. scale — size or range
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. court — of a king
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mug — to rob
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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