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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: stick · scale · arm · rock · sharp · can · roll · rash

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rock — music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rash — hasty
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. roll — a list
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rash — a series
  20. roll — a cake
  21. scale — in music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — a tin

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