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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
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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: kick · kid · wound · arm · scale · mouse · sharp · mine

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — child
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kick — in football
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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