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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. foot — a measure
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — child
  5. rock — music
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. file — a tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. file — a document
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. arm — a part of something

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