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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: jam · fan · cabinet · arm · sharp · bat · rash · rest

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rest — a break
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rash — a series
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — clever
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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