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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. file — a document
  6. staff — a stick
  7. scale — in music
  8. staff — employees
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — a face
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. file — a line of people
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mine — for digging
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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