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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: sharp · arm · rock · chest · chair · ground · mine · saw

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ground — the earth
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ground — a position
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rock — music
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chair — a leader

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