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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. row — a line
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spell — letters
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. track — a path
  12. file — a document
  13. object — an aim
  14. file — a tool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. row — to paddle
  17. file — a line of people
  18. object — to protest
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — clever
  21. object — a thing
  22. foot — a measure
  23. track — to keep track
  24. foot — the bottom

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