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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mark — a trace
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stem — to come from
  18. kid — to tease
  19. net — for catching
  20. kid — child
  21. file — a document
  22. ball — a dance
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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