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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: suit · kid · sharp · rest · rock · ball · content · arm

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — what's left
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. rock — music
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ball — a dance
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rest — a break
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — to tease
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. content — happy
  24. kid — child

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