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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.

Make a worksheet

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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bark — to shout
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. drill — army training
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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