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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — of a king
  4. mug — a cup
  5. race — the arms race
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mug — a face
  9. race — humankind
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. deal — to handle
  17. race — a contest
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cell — a phone
  21. file — a document
  22. court — of law
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. file — a line of people

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