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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a tool
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a document
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spell — letters
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. spell — magic

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