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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rock — a stone
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chest — a box
  14. lie — to recline
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rash — hasty

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