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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — a division
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. net — after costs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cell — in a prison
  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