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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rash — hasty
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cold — an illness
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rash — a series
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cold — not warm
  19. spring — of water
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pit — in a race
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. spring — the season
  24. safe — out of danger

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