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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. foot — a measure
  3. swing — to play on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lean — thin
  6. file — a tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — to bend
  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