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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. game — a match
  3. kick — in football
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a line of people
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cell — in biology
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. bank — for money
  15. root — the cause
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a tool
  18. root — of a word
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bank — of a river
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. file — a document
  24. root — of a plant

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