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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. kid — to tease
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. scale — in music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. scale — size or range
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kid — child
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — exactly

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