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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: toast · cold · arm · lean · shower · sharp · pass · chair

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cold — not warm
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lean — thin
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cold — an illness
  16. sharp — clever
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. shower — rain
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. sharp — exactly

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