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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. staff — employees
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pound — a weight
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fine — all right
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kick — in football
  18. toast — bread
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. deal — to handle
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. staff — employees

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