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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kid — to tease
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. foot — a measure
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — what's left
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rest — a break
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tear — from crying
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mate — a friend

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