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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. spell — a short time
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — a break
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — magic
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. race — humankind
  15. swing — music
  16. race — a contest
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. toast — bread
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — clever

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