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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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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 · bowl · arm · temple · file · kick · present · field

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. field — farmland
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. sharp — clever
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. file — a document
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a tool
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. present — a gift
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — a football final

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