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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 120 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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. craft — a skill
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — magic
  22. wake — a trail
  23. craft — boats
  24. mine — for digging

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