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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. sharp — clever
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. root — the cause
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. root — of a word
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rash — a series
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. root — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  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