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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. wound — an injury
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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