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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. present — the time now
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. present — a gift
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. drill — army training
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chest — a box
  16. present — there
  17. drill — a practice
  18. sharp — clever
  19. club — a group
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chest — of your body
  24. arm — a part of something

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