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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. row — a line
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rush — hurry
  7. row — to paddle
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. file — a document
  14. capital — money
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. capital — a city
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mug — a face
  20. chip — to eat
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. file — a tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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