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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. present — there
  7. file — a document
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — a country
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rest — a break
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — a gift

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