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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · arm · land · sharp · hide · jam

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. land — a country
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. sharp — clever
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. land — to come down
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. land — ground

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