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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. club — for golf
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chest — a box
  9. key — in music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chest — of your body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. club — a group
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. arm — part of the body

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