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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. file — a document
  4. game — a match
  5. file — a tool
  6. plane — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a line of people
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. scale — in music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. net — for catching
  24. rock — a stone

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