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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. net — for catching
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. suit — clothes
  8. season — in sport
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. suit — in cards
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. sharp — clever
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. season — of the year
  20. suit — to fit
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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