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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ball — a dance
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hand — in cards
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a great time
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. foot — a measure
  14. squash — the sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — help
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. squash — the vegetable

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