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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. club — for golf
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mate — a partner
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. staff — a stick
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bark — to shout
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. staff — employees
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a document
  22. tube — a container
  23. fine — high quality
  24. arm — part of the body

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