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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. last — final
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — to go on
  7. race — a contest
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kick — in football
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. saw — the tool
  13. face — to confront
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. last — finally
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. face — part of the head
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. face — to point toward
  24. saw — the tool

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