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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mark — a grade
  6. file — a document
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — obliged
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rest — a break
  24. mark — a trace

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