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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — obliged
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. plane — a tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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