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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. file — a document
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to click
  7. game — wild animals
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. file — a tool
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. game — a match
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ruler — for measuring

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