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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. capital — money
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cell — in biology
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. sharp — clever
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. capital — a city

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