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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: saw · pop · fine · arm · band · mark · kick · sharp

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pop — music
  10. band — a ring
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pop — soda
  14. fine — all right
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mark — a grade
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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