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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. file — a tool
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cue — a signal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cue — a hint
  16. row — a line
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. file — a document
  21. wake — a trail
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — before a funeral

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