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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. file — a tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rash — a series
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — to crush
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. net — after costs
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — in sport
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. squash — the sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — for a hammer

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