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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. ball — a great time
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kick — in football
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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