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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rock — music
  16. kick — in football
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hand — in cards
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rock — a stone

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