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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — magic
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — to wash
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. shower — rain
  9. press — a publisher
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. deal — to handle
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. spell — a short time
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. arm — a part of something

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