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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.

Make a worksheet

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: sharp · content · wind · hide · bat · arm · fan · season

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. content — the amount
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. season — of the year
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — happy
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. season — in sport
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wind — moving air

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