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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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468
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cell — a phone
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. file — a document
  12. key — in music
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. key — the most important part
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. net — in sport
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. file — a line of people

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