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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. swing — music
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rock — music
  7. present — there
  8. drill — a practice
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — the time now
  12. kick — in football
  13. drill — army training
  14. rock — a stone
  15. drill — the tool
  16. land — ground
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. swing — to play on
  19. land — to come down
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. swing — in golf
  22. present — a gift
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. land — a country

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