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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. row — a line
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. firm — a company
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. file — a document
  16. firm — decided
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. row — to paddle
  19. band — a music group
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. firm — steady
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. band — a ring

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