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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: cold · kick · present · arm · pitcher · suit · rush · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cold — an illness
  6. kick — in football
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cold — not warm
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. present — the time now
  14. suit — in cards
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. present — there
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. kick — a thrill

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