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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. roll — a cake
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. roll — a list
  6. file — a document
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. clip — a video
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fine — all right

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