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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: club · foot · sharp · cell · squash · board · arm · wound

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. club — for golf
  3. foot — a measure
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. board — a committee
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wound — an injury
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cell — a phone
  17. board — to get on
  18. sharp — clever
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. club — for dancing
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. arm — a part of something

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