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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spell — magic
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. field — farmland
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — certain
  9. key — in music
  10. field — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cue — a signal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — a subject
  20. key — for a lock
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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