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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kid — child
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. file — a document
  15. track — a path
  16. kid — to tease
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — to push
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. net — for catching
  22. press — a publisher
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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