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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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. file — a document
  3. spell — a short time
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a line of people
  6. can — to be able to
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — for catching
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. spell — magic
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — after costs
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — in sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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