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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: arm · hide · sharp · rock · content · bark · swing · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rock — music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bark — to shout
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rock — a stone
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — the amount
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — happy
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. swing — music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hide — to keep secret

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