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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. sharp — clever
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mate — to breed
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rock — a stone

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