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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 120 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: arm · kick · mine · march · pound · cue · sharp · present

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. present — a gift
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. march — the month
  9. cue — a hint
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cue — a signal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. present — the time now
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cue — for pool
  21. present — there
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kick — in football
  24. pound — a weight

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