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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hand — help
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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