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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cue — a hint
  4. march — the month
  5. present — a gift
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. present — there
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cue — for pool
  11. file — a document
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — a box
  17. present — the time now
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. march — music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fan — a supporter

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