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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. track — a path
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. track — to keep track
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — a short time
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. pitch — completely
  23. spell — magic
  24. scale — in music

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