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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: leaves · sharp · cold · mark · arm · toast · present · ball

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. present — the time now
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. present — a gift
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ball — a great time
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ball — a dance
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. present — there
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. sharp — clever
  23. toast — bread
  24. mark — to pay attention

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