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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · sharp · swing · last · chair · wound · arm · rash

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rash — hasty
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. swing — to play on
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. swing — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — final
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. arm — a part of something

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