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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. net — in sport
  4. present — a gift
  5. content — happy
  6. present — the time now
  7. net — after costs
  8. firm — steady
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — in music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. firm — a company
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. firm — decided
  19. present — there
  20. net — for catching
  21. content — the amount
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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