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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 120 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
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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: spring · fine · sharp · lie · squash · arm · firm · cold

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — steady
  6. spring — the season
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cold — not warm
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — of water
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spring — a coil
  14. firm — decided
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fine — high quality
  17. firm — a company
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cold — an illness
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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