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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: hand · pound · stick · sharp · cell · rest · saw · mark

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. sharp — clever
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — help
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rest — what's left

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