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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: sharp · pop · bay · arm · date · scale · lean · tube

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pop — music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pop — to visit
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pop — soda
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — to bend
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tube — a container

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