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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. club — for golf
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stem — to come from
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cell — a phone
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. toast — bread
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cell — in biology
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. club — a group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. sharp — clever
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. sharp — exactly

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