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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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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: rush · last · arm · sharp · mouse · craft · object · chest

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. object — an aim
  8. rush — hurry
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. craft — boats
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. last — finally
  20. object — a thing
  21. chest — a box
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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