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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pit — in a race
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — the earth
  15. snap — to click
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pit — a hole
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. race — the arms race

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