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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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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. field — farmland
  10. key — in music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. key — the most important part
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a ring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. key — for a lock

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