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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: sharp · wound · bay · pass · firm · chair · arm · cold

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. firm — a company
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wound — an injury
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. firm — steady
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. firm — decided
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wound — an injury

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