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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ground — the earth
  5. file — a tool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. file — a document
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tube — a container
  11. sharp — clever
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chest — a box
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tube — the underground
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. toast — bread
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. ground — a position

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