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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. sharp — clever
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wound — an injury
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. swing — in golf
  11. march — music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wound — an injury
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cell — a phone
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. swing — music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. arm — part of the body

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