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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. game — a match
  4. last — final
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bank — for money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bank — of a river
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. sharp — clever
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. vault — a safe
  20. snap — to click
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bank — for money

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