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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. row — to paddle
  7. clip — a video
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — obliged
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. row — a line
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

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